Asthma is a disease that constricts the bronchial airways and limits a person's ability to breathe. This condition is a constant problem for many asthma sufferers, frequently causing them to inhale more rapidly than a person who does not have the disease. However, during an asthma attack, a person will begin gasping for breath, so his or her breathing pattern becomes very rapid.
Air is sharply accelerated when entering the mouth and passing through the trachea on its way to the lungs. In order to calm this attack, an asthma inhaler that contains corticosteroids and/or bronchodilators that reduce the inflammation in the airways is used so that normal breathing may resume. The problem is that much of this medication (about 85-95%) is deposited in the mouth, throat, and trachea, especially in the oropharyngeal region, instead of the lungs.
Efforts continue to develop inhalers and inhaler components that do not have some of the problems associated with known inhalers. In particular, efforts continue to develop inhalers and inhaler components that reduce the amount of mouth/throat particle deposition (MTPD), and consequently, the amount of wasted drug.